Complementary practices
Tongue tip positioning
This practice relaxes your jaws, controls stress and keeps you cool. It helps you choose how to respond. Here is how to do it -
Curl your tongue upward. Keep the tip of the tongue back of the top teeth at the gum line. Let your lips be in light contact with each other. If you can, smile a little.
Chanting at finger tips or segments
This is my favorite mantra. It has four lines
Hara Rama, Hare Rama
Rama Rama, Hare Hare
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare.
I have been chanting the above mantra for about 25 years. I learned about chanting from the book "The Mantram Handbook: A Practical Guide to Choosing Your Mantram and Calming Your Mind" by Eknath Easwaran. His books initiated me into meditation. His teachings made a lasting impression on me and changed my life.
This mantra comes to my mind by itself whenever my mind is idle or stressed. It pops up in my mind as soon as I begin walking. This happens at home, in the parking lot or the store and even when I am going up and down the steps.
I chant it it in the morning on waking up in the bed. Sometimes I chant the complete mantra at each tip or segment of the fingers. This goes on as long as I am in the bed.
Another time this mantra comes to my mind is when while driving. It happens when waiting at a stop light, stop sign or an intersection. When waiting at the red slight, I keep chanting until the light turns green. When I wait at a a stop sign it comes to my mind.
When waiting at an intersection to take a turn. I have the turn signal on and it is making a tick-tick-tick ... sound. I am looking in both directions for a safe opportunity. As soon as I hear the tick-tick sounds the mantra comes to mind. I keep chanting the mantra matching each 'tick' sound with one syllable of the mantra. See below. I continue chanting as long as my car is still. The chant stops when I begin moving the car.
Tick - Hare
Tick - Rama
Tick - Hare
so on ......
"Sarve janah sukhino bhavanthu" in Sanskrit language meaning "May all beings be happy"
I chant it during the exhales, inhales or both. It spreads relaxation into all parts of my body when practiced for an extended period.
"Thank you God for Everything"
I have been chanting this mantra on waking up in the morning. I chant during the inhales and exhales. I like its impact on the mind and body.
Praying for individual(s)
I have also been chanting "Oh God! Please help (Full name of the person whom I am working with or wish to help)".
Eating meditation
I introduced mindful eating meditation to a client as he has diabetes and needs to lose some weight. This was the second time I practiced it with a client.
How did we do it?
We put two raisins in the mouth.
We don't bite the raisins with the teeth. We can squeeze them and move them around with the tongue.
We should swallow only the liquified food, not the solids.
What happened
The stiff raisins absorbed the saliva. The tongue moved them and squeezed them non-stop. Their rough wrinkled skins became soft. The hard raisins became pliable. The pulp inside the raisins leaked out of the skin in small quantities generating a sweet taste. Finally only the tasteless skin also disintegrated into small pieces. These pieces were also swallowed with the saliva.
We didn't time it. I guess we ate two raisins in 10 to 15 minutes. Next time we will time it.
Eating meditation In real life
I suggested to him to eat whatever solid foods he eats in the following way.
Take smaller quantities into the plate.
Put a table spoon or so in the mouth.
Bite and chew in the usual manner but don't swallow anything.
While chewing and swallowing, practice the 'feeling mode' as much as you can.
Wait for accumulation of liquified food to fill the mouth.
Follow this rule: Every time your mouth feels full, swallow ONLY the liquified food in the mouth. Don't swallow the solids.
Resume biting and chewing. The remaining solids will generate the next batch of liquified food.
Continue swallowing only the liquified food till you feel full.
When you feel full, stop putting any more food in the mouth.
Store the remaining food in the plate if any for the next meal if you wish.
......
If the above practices make sense, experiment with your own variations and see what works for you.
I would like to know what worked for you and post your report with or without your name honoring your choice.
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